Basalite Concrete Products released its first Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for its lightweight and medium weight precision block made with CarbonCure’s CO2 -sequestration technology. The EPDs are for Basalite’s plant located in Dixon, California. The announcement is timely as Greenbuild, the USGBC’s national conference devoted to green building, just took place in New Orleans October 21-24.“It’s clear that policy, industry, and designers are all trying to do their part and address the needs of the environment” said Dale Puskas, Vice President of Basalite Concrete Products. “We want to help our customers achieve their goals of designing and developing more sustainable buildings, and the way to do so is through disclosure.”EPDs help architects, engineers and developers quantify the environmental impacts of the building materials that they select. As public discussion around climate change continues to grow, the environmental impacts associated with raw material extraction, through to the construction and demolition of buildings is becoming central to the dialogue. EPDs communicate consistent and comparable data that enables designers to make informed decisions regarding material selection, and realize their project sustainability goals.Local San Francisco-based contractor Swinerton Builders is excited about the news. “As Swinerton Builders strives to promote green building best practices and materials in all of its projects, we're encouraged by Basalite's commitment to produce EPDs for its products” said Adhamina Rodriguez, Director of Sustainability at Swinerton. “As a builder, we are excited to have a sustainable concrete masonry option that is locally produced.”Locally, material transparency has become a priority for the USGBC. The USGBC Northern California Chapter officially launched its Building Health Initiative last year, to frame “green” as a health issue. Its high profile members include Google, Salesforce, and Genentech, who are leading the demand for product transparency by developing their procurement practices around the creation of healthy spaces.